Have You Checked Your Freight Class Recently?
As a Billing Specialist at FreightPros, one of the most difficult invoice issues I deal with is a Reclass. Your product may not ship at the same class as it did when you started shipping. I cannot stress enough the importance of all five suggestions that our Classmaster, Lucas, made in his blog, Dispatches from the Classmaster, but for the purpose of this blog I want to focus on knowing that your class listing can change. Yes, it’s true; that computer you shipped for the past twenty years at class 92.5 is no longer accurate.
The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) is responsible for updating the Freight Classing Database that the majority of our LTL carriers use to class freight. It is a massive database, and can be tricky to navigate; however, the NMFC database is what most LTL carriers base their class rulings on, so it is important that your product can clearly identify with the NMFC/class that is on your BOL.
There are thousands of shipping items, so it can be difficult to keep up with all the changes that have and will continue to occur. Do you package your shipment in boxes or crates, or do you put them on pallets? The way you package your product can also affect the freight class. At FreightPros, we try to be as proactive as possible in looking out for these changes and notifying our customers of them.
Below are some recent changes that the NMFTA has made over the past few years for certain products:
1) Electronics: They used to ship at class 92.5, however, this item has changed to a density-based item under the provisions of NMFC 116030. Be sure to have accurate dimensions and weight, so that you aren’t hit with a reclass.
2) Household Goods: Previously shipped at class 100, however, this item just changed in August of 2015 to class 150 under NMFC 100240.
3) Magazines/Periodicals: NMFC 161685 (class 60) has been canceled and they will now ship under NMFC 161700, which is density-based and classes range from 55-70.
4) Blinds, Hunters: NMFC 15830 has been canceled and this product is now shipped under item 15520, which is density-based.
5) Steel Lockers: Previously shipped under NMFC 111740. Refer to item 80440, which is density-based.